No Letting Go
Encyclopedia
"No Letting Go" is a reggae fusion
song recorded by Jamaica
n singer Wayne Wonder
. The song was written by Steven Marsden and V.W. Charles and produced by Marsden. It was included on Wonder's 2003 studio album
No Holding Back
and was released as the lead single
from the album. The single was released worldwide on January 28, 2003 and charted at a peak position of number three in the UK Singles Chart
. It also peaked at number 11 in the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States
.
The song was one of the many hits from the jumpy handclap
riddim
known as the Diwali Riddim
, that was also produced by Marsden.
in 2003 "I just wrote this song [about a girl] without calling her name in the song because she always said to me, 'You are always [calling] these other girls' names.' I said, 'I don’t have to call your name, I'll just write a song and you can appreciate it.'" He was also amazed by the success that the song had achieved, saying "Everybody loves it, which is surprising to me. When I'm writing, I don’t think [about whether the song] will be a big hit."
& Queen Duchess. The remix also uses more of the Diwali Riddim
beat.
, Jamaica
, in December 2002. Wonder said that "It took us 24 hours [to shoot]... It was raining in the morning and the shoot was supposed to start at like 6:30 a.m. and it never really got started until about maybe 8 o'clock... The video, to me, was a success; the dances, everyone enjoying themselves on the stage, there was no bad vibe."
EU enhanced CD single
US 12" vinyl
Side A
Side B
German 12" vinyl
Sides A
Side B
US 12" vinyl (Remix)
Side A
Side B
called the song "a fetching love song that paired his [Wonder's] accented tenor with rough, digital funk". Rolling Stone
were critical of the album but called this song "mesmerizing".
Reggae fusion
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, house, jazz & drum and bass....
song recorded by Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n singer Wayne Wonder
Wayne Wonder
Wayne Wonder is a Jamaican reggae fusion artist...
. The song was written by Steven Marsden and V.W. Charles and produced by Marsden. It was included on Wonder's 2003 studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
No Holding Back
No Holding Back
No Holding Back is a reggae fusion album by Wayne Wonder, a Jamaican-American hip hop musician. The single No Letting Go contributed to making this album Wonder's most successful...
and was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from the album. The single was released worldwide on January 28, 2003 and charted at a peak position of number three in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It also peaked at number 11 in the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The song was one of the many hits from the jumpy handclap
Clapping
A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
riddim
Riddim
Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm," but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the "voicing" sung by the deejay. The resulting song structure may be taken for...
known as the Diwali Riddim
Diwali Riddim
Greensleeves Rhythm Album #27: Diwali, also known as the Diwali Riddim, is an album and popular dancehall riddim that came to prominence in 2002...
, that was also produced by Marsden.
Production
According to Wayne Wonder, the song is about a girl that he knew but he doesn't mention her name. He said in an interview with MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in 2003 "I just wrote this song [about a girl] without calling her name in the song because she always said to me, 'You are always [calling] these other girls' names.' I said, 'I don’t have to call your name, I'll just write a song and you can appreciate it.'" He was also amazed by the success that the song had achieved, saying "Everybody loves it, which is surprising to me. When I'm writing, I don’t think [about whether the song] will be a big hit."
Remix
The official remix features rappers LL Cool JLL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
& Queen Duchess. The remix also uses more of the Diwali Riddim
Diwali Riddim
Greensleeves Rhythm Album #27: Diwali, also known as the Diwali Riddim, is an album and popular dancehall riddim that came to prominence in 2002...
beat.
Music video
The music video was filmed in Ocho RiosOcho Rios
Ocho Ríos is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. Although he landed in many spots along the Jamaican coast, many believe that Christopher Columbus first set foot on land in Ocho Rios...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, in December 2002. Wonder said that "It took us 24 hours [to shoot]... It was raining in the morning and the shoot was supposed to start at like 6:30 a.m. and it never really got started until about maybe 8 o'clock... The video, to me, was a success; the dances, everyone enjoying themselves on the stage, there was no bad vibe."
Formats and track listings
US CD single- "No Letting Go" (Album version) - 3:22
- "No Letting Go" (Alternate mix) - 3:43
EU enhanced CD single
- "No Letting Go" (Album version) - 3:25
- "No Letting Go" (Alternate mix) - 3:44
- "No Letting Go" (Instrumental) - 3:40
- "No Letting Go" (Video)
US 12" vinyl
Side A
- "No Letting Go" (Album version) - 3:22
Side B
- "No Letting Go" (Alternate mix) - 3:43
- "No Letting Go" (Instrumental) - 3:43
German 12" vinyl
Sides A
- "No Letting Go" (Album version) - 3:22
- "No Letting Go" (Alternate mix) - 3:41
Side B
- "No Letting Go" (Instrumental) - 3:22
- "No Letting Go" (Alternate mix instrumental) - 3:41
US 12" vinyl (Remix)
Side A
- "No Letting Go (Remix)" (Club Mix featuring LL Cool J & Queen Duchess) - 3:29
- "No Letting Go (Remix)" (Radio Mix featuring LL Cool J & Queen Duchess) - 3:16
- "No Letting Go (Remix)" (Remix Instrumental) - 3:45
Side B
- "No Letting Go" (Album version) - 3:22
- "No Letting Go" (Instrumental) - 3:32
Reception
Blender magazine'sBlender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
called the song "a fetching love song that paired his [Wonder's] accented tenor with rough, digital funk". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
were critical of the album but called this song "mesmerizing".
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
26 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 3 |
| French Singles Chart | 37 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
11 |
| Hot R&B Singles and Tracks | 14 |
| Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
7 |
| Rhythmic Top 40 | 8 |
| Top 40 Mainstream | 10 |
| Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was... |
10 |